


and here, our story begins

by ImagineTheHaus, LittleGirlLostExplores



Series: ITH Holiday Special 2k16 [18]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: 7 days to Haus Christmas, First Date, Flirting, M/M, fluff under a christmas tree, pinch of feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 11:09:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9068998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImagineTheHaus/pseuds/ImagineTheHaus, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleGirlLostExplores/pseuds/LittleGirlLostExplores
Summary: Imagine one of the couples meeting at a public Christmas tree. One or both of them has been stood up for a blind date.





	

The public Christmas tree in downtown Attleboro looked so nice. It was at least fifty feet tall and decked out in all manner of colored lights and ornaments! An inch or two of snow was on the ground and the air had that little bite of frost that evening. 

Jack enjoyed looking at the sparkling lights and couples enjoying hot cocoa together in the park around the tree. He found it settling and calming every year, against all odds. Kent had always loved looking at Christmas lights in people’s front yards, the town Christmas tree wherever they happened to be that year. That’s why Jack still did this every year. It let him feel closer to Kent. Not that that was what he spent time thinking about but it was Christmas and only natural to want to feel close to people that you’ve lost. Jack was wandering around to get a look at the other side of the tree when a small blonde boy caught his attention. He was staring up at the tree smiling with tears in his eyes. All Jack could think was that the boy looked exactly how he felt. Jack tried to let it go but he couldn’t so he did the only other thing possible in Jack’s world, face the problem head on. He walked up to the boy.

“Um, excuse me? I don’t mean to pry but….are you alright?”

The boy flushed and kept looking at the lights.

“I’m fine. Don’t you worry about me. I’ll be…fine.”

Jack noticed the sweet southern drawl first, and the fact that the boy didn’t look at him, either before or after his voice hitched, second.

“Well those aren’t the same thing, nor do they have any bearing on whether or not you’re upset. ….why are you here tonight?”

The boy gulped.

“I thought….I thought it would be a lovely place for a first date, don’t you?”

“Actually, I really do. Where’s your date? I’m sure she’ll be incredibly pleased at such a romantic gesture.”

The boy gave a watery smile.

“He took one look at me and ran. It was supposed to be a blind date. I knew what he was going to be wearing and he knew what I was going to be wearing. He caught sight of me and…well, the way his face twisted you’d think I had a third eye or something, and then he just…hurried away. So I guess to answer your question my guess would be either home or at a bar. But I sure do love the Christmas tree.”

The boy gave an almost imperceptible sniffle and smiled again.

Jack was horrified. Horrified and heartbroken for the boy. There was no need for that, what was wrong with him? He was adorable! Dressed in a dark red peacoat, shining blonde hair cut stylishly, and a simply dazzling smile. What in God’s name could his “date” have been reacting to that badly? What, sweet and stylishly sexy wasn’t his type??!

“I’m sorry that happened to you, there’s no reason to react that way. You look wonderful and he’s a bottom feeder to react that way to anyone, least of all you!”

The boy smiled a little.

“Well thank you very much for saying so, but I know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. I’m small and a bit delicate looking. I definitely don’t scream heterosexual best friend. I’m not terribly handsome and I don’t look like I have much in the way of muscles under this. I can understand his reaction.”

Jack listened with a growing feeling of dread. His tone, when he spoke was somewhere north of scandalized and east of disgusted.

“Who told you that? Who told you all of that? It’s garbage, every word of it. I’d be proud to have you on my arm any day!”

The boy turned his face away from the tree to look at Jack when he answered him, his sentence caught mid-thought and derailed the moment he saw Jack.

“Oh you are a charmer I can’t imagine you have any trou..ble….my goodness look at you! You’re one to talk about handsome, you must be a model in your own right! What are you possibly doing here alone?”

Jack directed a chuckle at his shoes.

“Son of a model actually, although she’s quick to say her only job titles now include mother, wife, charity gala date, and professional family worrier. She says it’s all the fun of wearing the red carpet fashion without all the hassle of keeping up an eating disorder. Maman has a little bit of a sick sense of humor sometimes.”

The boy barks out a surprised laugh and to Jack it sounds like fairy bells and sunshine.

“Well your Maman must be a very smart woman in addition to being beautiful then. I’m Eric Bittle. Most people call me Bitty, pleased to meet you.” and Bitty held out his hand to shake.

“Hello Bitty, my name is Jack Zimmermann, the pleasure is certainly all mine, though I wish we’d met under different circumstances. Can I maybe buy you a hot chocolate? It’s the least I can do for not being a terribly good stand in date.”

Bitty laughed again.

“I would love a hot chocolate but I don’t think you’re a bad stand-in for a date. You’re doing rather well so far.”

**Author's Note:**

> We are always accepting new prompts at our [tumblr](https://imaginethehaus.tumblr.com) account, so feel free to drop by with a little headcanon or ask.


End file.
